Scubaism

Conservationists are investigating reports of  operating from a port in North Devon.

If confirmed, the haul would be one of the largest on record and a devastating blow for the population of porbeagle sharks off the isle of Lundy in the Bristol Channel where numbers had been increasing in recent years, having been fished near to extinction in the 1970s.

The catch has coincided with the first substantial study of porbeagle sharks in British waters, which included fitting several with satellite-tracking devices.

The porbeagle can grow up to 12ft and is closely related to the infamous great white. It is one of the largest predatory sharks in British waters and is hunted for its meat, which is particularly popular in France. The porbeagle’s white belly may have led to it being mistaken for a great white, sparking last week’s shark scare off the Cornish coast.

The porbeagle is listed as “vulnerable” by the European Union but has no official protection, unlike the basking shark.

French wholesalers will have paid about £1.50 per kg for the sharks, which can average 200kg each. The day’s catch of 60 porbeagles would have been worth in the region of £18,000.